Honor and Glory
by dragonFELL
Summary: *VERY OLD* Duskpaw is the perfect apprentice that any warrior would want the honor to mentor, hated by his jealous denmates. He can back up his boasts with tooth and claw-until one envious apprentice goes further to bring him down. Rated T to be safe.
1. Pride

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sun was not yet fully risen when a cat from the warriors' den yawned and blinked open his eyes. Stretching his limbs, he padded quietly out of the den without waking his Clanmates towards a smaller den, one made of twigs, leaves, and mud. Sticking his head in through the narrow entrance clearly intended for younger cats, he rasped, "Wake up, Rowanpaw, it's time to hunt."

The broad-shouldered solid brown tom groaned and shook himself awake. "Why can't you leave us a few more moments of sleep, Stormclaw?" he complained. His sleepy orange eyes were half-shut.

"When you are warriors, you must rise early and hunt for the Clan!" the warrior hissed. "Now stop whining! You're coming with us for the dawn patrol. And don't make us wait! The daylight Gathering is drawing near, and I shudder to imagine what the other Clans think of our lazy apprentices!"

As Stormclaw, deputy of ThunderClan, ordered out every single apprentice in the den, there was one who woke up in the midst of the groans and complaints. Duskpaw marched out on his own, his dark golden fur groomed neatly while the other apprentices were too bothered to smooth their ruffled fur. His green eyes flashed haughtily as he glanced at the others.

"All right, you three are to be assessed by your mentors today; go meet them near the thorn tunnel." Turning to another group of apprentices, he continued, "And you three will be assessed in fighting techniques with your mentors. Wait for us in the training hollow."

Duskpaw was one of the three scheduled for battle training, while his sister Dawnpaw was to hunt for the day. There was an excitement in him, but it was not eagerness to be training with two other apprentices; it was excitement to rule over his denmates in the training field again.

Rowanpaw and Kestrelpaw were with Duskpaw, although they hung together a few foxlengths behind the golden tom. Not that Duskpaw cared, really. Talented at such a young age, his mind was filled only with fighting moves and veterans of famous battles from the past, such as the elders Birchfall and Berrynose. And the only she-cat he was close to was his sister Dawnpaw, who looked like his exact copy with the same dark yellow fur and piercing green eyes.

"Hey, Duskpaw, are you sure you can beat me today?" Rowanpaw's fur was puffed up to make him appear larger than normal, though Duskpaw stood taller than both apprentices, with his longer legs. "I've been learning harder than ever from Honeyleaf for the daylight Gathering."

"And I'm learning to hunt squirrels better," Kestrelpaw boasted. Duskpaw's bored green eyes seemed to anger them—not enough for Rowanpaw to call out a challenge, but enough to ruffle their fur.

Before anyone could say more of their exploits and lessons, Stormclaw and two other warriors entered the training hollow. "All right, Kestrelpaw and Rowanpaw are going to use the fighting moves they have learned so far to try and force the other to yield," Stormclaw announced. "Claws sheathed, mind you both."

The two cats whirled to face each other with spits and snarls, circling as they tried to find an opening. Kestrelpaw leaped first, and quick as an adder Rowanpaw changed direction in his circling. Kestrelpaw landed on the soft springy moss, and when he turned to face his enemy Rowanpaw batted at his face with sheathed paws. Outraged, Kestrelpaw sprang, and they formed a ball of fur, teeth, and dust as they tried to pin the other onto the ground. In the end Rowanpaw was on top of Kestrelpaw, his paw pressed down on Kestrelpaw's chest.

Stormclaw nodded in approval, as did the other two warriors. "Duskpaw, it's your turn with Rowanpaw."

He had been called, and he came with hardly a look at the three warriors. All his attention was on Rowanpaw, wreathed with dust and glory. Duskpaw grinned—a cutting, mocking smile, not revealing any of his teeth—and braced himself. Rowanpaw narrowed his eyes. If any apprentice held back in training to avoid shaming his or her friend, those restrictions disappeared when facing Duskpaw. Tall, golden, and easy to envy. It was easy to hate him for being so high up in the hierarchy of the Clan, compared to the other apprentices. The elders praised his skill, the warriors commented on his potential, and even the leader Foxstar seemed interested in his future.

Every time Rowanpaw faced off with Duskpaw, his thoughts were: _No longer. No longer will you look down on me, you piece of foxdung, with your smiles and taunts. No longer will you be the pride of ThunderClan._ And every time Duskpaw prevailed.

The battle began the same as before, with both apprentices trying to catch the other off guard by circling the clearing. Finally, filled with suspense and anxiety, Rowanpaw's claws slid out involuntarily, but he hastily drew them back in. At that moment Duskpaw rushed. Rowanpaw looked up in surprise as Duskpaw rolled him off his paws in the second that it took him to retract his claws. Before he could retaliate, the other cat's paw was pressed on his throat—not enough to cut off his air, but enough to make him feel _inferior_.

Duskpaw stepped away from him with the same smile on his muzzle. Rowanpaw looked agitated enough to try and claw that grin off his face, but almost as if he could read Rowanpaw's mind, his clear green eyes spoke a message: _Just try it_. _Just try and we'll see who's better, claws unsheathed_. Rowanpaw did not take the challenge.

Back at camp, his sister Dawnpaw was standing proud with a pile of mice, shrews, and one pigeon. "I caught the most out of all the apprentices," she boasted to her brother, who was picking at one of her mice with no particular interest in the food. "This time ThunderClan will win most of the competitions in the daylight Gathering, you in the fights and me in the hunts."

They ate alone, as they usually did. Dawnpaw was more likable, especially by the other young male cats, but when one seemed to get too close to her, Duskpaw would intervene with another smile on his lips. That smile was semi-famous in ThunderClan, and some warriors oblivious to his haughty, bossy ways claimed that his grins would be noticed one day in all four Clans.

In the darkness, Rowanpaw brooded over a sparrow, his orange eyes burning with hatred. One day, he would get Duskpaw, before the arrogant apprentice made himself well-known in the daylight Gathering.


	2. Glory

A/N: Chapter 1 was written pretty hastily and I forgot to put in the disclaimer, my traditional author's note, and everything

_A/N: Chapter 1 was written pretty hastily and I forgot to put in the disclaimer, my traditional author's note, and everything! OH NO! And I changed the title of the fanfic because I had a strange new notion on how to direct the story… xD_ Weird me!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Warriors series, this is only a fanfiction.

**Chapter 2 – Glory**

Duskpaw was, for the first time, not the only cat to wake up without any complaints. For once Rowanpaw was not in his nest, probably off hunting early. He nosed his sister, who was still sleeping beside him, and mewed, "Dawnpaw, time to get up. Let's go hunting."

Dawnpaw groaned and turned over for another snooze, and Duskpaw rolled his eyes. He left the den alone, determined to bring in some prey for the Clan. And perhaps train by himself, too.

Duskpaw set out thinking of how he and his sister would earn so much of the glory in the daylight Gathering, just one day away! Tonight they were to meet at the Gathering island to confirm the daylight Gathering for the next day. _The other Clans will learn to fear ThunderClan's warriors now, with us on the loose!_ His mentor Stormclaw had mentioned as much, dropping hints of an early warrior promotion if he did exceptionally well in the daylight Gathering.

Before long he was holding two mice in his jaws, disappointed by his small catch. Well, hunting was never really part of his repertoire, anyways.

Duskpaw was well-known to try and go along with most of the border patrols, hoping for some excitement from the other Clans. He didn't know how to explain it to anyone but himself—in battle he was calm yet excited, and somehow he knew just when to strike. He wondered whether he should give his thanks to StarClan for the gift. _As my sister brings in prey for the Clan to survive, _I _can end the lives of others. Just as she is of the dawn and I am of dusk._

There was a scuffling nearby; Duskpaw could hear it. Scrambling up a small but thick tree until he could leap from branch to branch while being sheltered by the leaves, he peered out from his perch to spot a familiar dark reddish-brown pelt. It was Rowanpaw, testing some new battle move against random objects, such as falling leaves and tree trunks.

_Interesting_. So Rowanpaw was this bent on beating him. The moves were indeed strange; Rowanpaw must have done his best to actually devise a decent move against an unsuspecting cat. _What's the point? ThunderClan won't be able to fight ThunderClan!_ Or maybe Rowanpaw wasn't trying to beat him in the daylight Gathering. Perhaps he was just honing his moves for the sneaky ShadowClan, or the swift WindClan. Even so, Duskpaw crouched in a comfortable position that granted him a good view of the apprentice.

A small part of himself protested. Duskpaw knew what he was doing: spying on an enemy cat and learning his moves to prepare. _Have you no honor at all?_ It sounded like what Stormclaw would tell him.

_Well, who cares? When you fight someone, honor and honesty doesn't win you anything! _It was glory Duskpaw wanted, and glory that he was determined to win.


	3. Victory

Chapter 3 – Victory

**Chapter 3 – Victory**

Foxstar's face was unreadable when he yowled, "Start!"

Duskpaw's opponent was a hulking RiverClan apprentice: well-fed from the river, and all the slower for it. The RiverClan cat did not leap, as a WindClan or ThunderClan cat would have; he stood his ground as Duskpaw waited for him to make a move. Finally, Duskpaw struck.

They were circling each other when Duskpaw finally feinted with a leap that fell short. The RiverClan cat quickly tried to leap on him, but Duskpaw had already leaped backwards, and rushed back in to bat at the RiverClan cat's face with sheathed paws. The RiverClan cat snarled and seemed to grow faster, but Duskpaw was faster still. He had chosen the thinnest mouse he could fine on the fresh-kill pile this morning, to give him the energy to fight while not slowing him down.

The RiverClan cat apparently had not made the same choice as Duskpaw. _The fighting blood runs thin in this one_, Duskpaw thought as he danced away from the bigger cat. It would be harder for him if he fought WindClan—they were too fast to use such a tactic. He would dodge, feint, and use small irritating attacks to infuriate the slower RiverClan apprentice until Duskpaw could sense that his enemy was losing his energy. His powerful blows came slower, and there was a clear look of doubt on his face.

As if Duskpaw gained a magical spurt of energy, he met the RiverClan cat's rush head-on. He could feel the immense strength underneath the other cat's glossy pelt, but it was brief. In the end Duskpaw knocked him off his feet and held him down before the RiverClan cat could gain another spurt of energy. His fallen opponent spat curses at him, but what mattered was he _won_.

Foxstar now had a smug look on his face, as if he knew what the outcome would be. Stormclaw's face was a look of pure pride, and all the faces of the ThunderClan cats in the circle around him had an inspiring look in them—all except Rowanpaw's. The brown cat scowled as he strode forward, meowing in a loud voice so all could hear above the noise: "I challenge Duskpaw."

Those three simple words awoke such confusion in the circle of cats that finally the elderly Russetstar rasped, "But you're ThunderClan too. If you have some personal in-Clan matters to settle, do it _inside_ your Clan!"

Foxstar stepped forward as well. "You have time enough to do this in training tomorrow," he mewed gently, looking down on Rowanpaw. Rowanpaw's look was pure fury as he glared at Duskpaw. The look was one that Duskpaw himself knew of. It was determination, and Duskpaw braced himself for something unexpected. To make sure Rowanpaw would attack first, Duskpaw used his cutting smile. "Are you sure you can really beat me now, in front of all these cats?"

As he predicted, Rowanpaw leaped at him with a yowl, and the familiar rush of energy came back to Duskpaw as he neatly sidestepped. _He's going to use his move_, Duskpaw realized. Thankfully, he had his own little counter for it. _I'll use it just for you, dear Rowanpaw_.

Duskpaw flew at Rowanpaw, landing on his back while the circle of cats made a cacophony that Duskpaw was entirely deaf to. By grasping Rowanpaw's scruff, he was inviting him to use his little 'secret' move. Duskpaw had guessed that the point of it, really, was to gain an advantage over enemies that had a grip on him.

Rowanpaw was predictable as ever, and leaped backwards to land on the ground back-first. It meant Duskpaw would be crushed underneath Rowanpaw, but he didn't mean to stay there to be pummeled. Duskpaw swiftly let go of Rowanpaw just as he started to land backwards, and for one sweet heartbeat, Rowanpaw's belly was unguarded. Duskpaw immediately pinned Rowanpaw down while his hind legs thrashed his belly, but nothing was half as sweet as the look on Rowanpaw's face. _You worked on that move for hours yesterday, and it's proved to be nothing but a farce,_ Duskpaw thought, exulting.

It was done. Duskpaw got off Rowanpaw, humiliated and defeated. His ears flattened as he gave one final snarl, but Duskpaw could see it in his eyes: total defeat. And this time, nothing protested inside him as he basked in his own glory.


	4. Fall

A/N: Yeah, it's impossible to see where the story is heading… until now

_A/N: Yeah, it's impossible to see where the story is heading… until now! …I hope. And thanks to Tanfeather of AmberClan for Duskpaw's warrior name! :)_

**Chapter 4 – Fall**

"Do you, Duskpaw, promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan at all costs?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Duskpaw, from this moment you will be known as Duskshadow. StarClan honors your courage and skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan," Foxstar finished with a fiercely proud look in his eyes, although he wasn't Duskshadow's mentor.

"Duskshadow! Dawncloud! Duskshadow! Dawncloud!" The chanting roared in his ears, and the golden tom felt the same great feeling as when he had defeated Rowanpaw: pride, glory, and victory. _Such a dark name for a bright future_, he thought to himself. What would he go for now, leadership of ThunderClan?

_Nah. I can't stand talking and reasoning with the other Clans to try and avoid fighting. I was made for the battlefield. I fight and leave the thinking to others._

Dawncloud was given her warrior name with her brother. They were now one of the youngest named warriors in ThunderClan's history, being in training for only four moons. Dawncloud was made a warrior on account of her winning the hunting competition, as Duskshadow was honored for his victories in the fighting. He never realized there could be so much glory in this world.

Rowanpaw sat in the edges of the gathering, staring at Duskshadow with narrowed blue eyes. Why wasn't _he_ a warrior? He was fully two moons older than that cocky Duskshadow, but he was still shamed in the daylight Gathering. _And how in StarClan did he know just how to counter my new move? Does he really have a gift? It's not fair!_

But Rowanpaw wasn't going to give up. He never gave up in his fights, and he was determined to get the last laugh. He approached Kestrelpaw, whispered a few words in his ear, and they both slipped out while their Clanmates praised their worst enemy.

"Thistleclaw! Thistleclaw, Rowanpaw's stuck in the Sky Oak!"

Foxstar and Rowanpaw's mentor, Thistleclaw, appeared immediately. The leader snarled, "Why would he do such a mousebrained thing?"

"W-we were having a bet, sorta; I told him he couldn't climb up halfway—"

Foxstar interrupted him, commanding Thistleclaw, Duskshadow, and Kestrelpaw to go help Rowanpaw. "And Wildstorm and Ravenwing will come with you as well. Rowanpaw's not the first cat to be stuck in the Sky Oak, and he won't be the first to fall." Everyone knew who _that_ was: Cinderheart, who was one of the oldest cats in ThunderClan.

The cats sped towards the Sky Oak with Thistleclaw in the lead. When they reached the huge tree, all the cats gasped. Rowanpaw was up perilously high, teetering on a small brach. From the way the leaves were falling on the ground, Duskshadow could guess that Rowanpaw was shaking with dead fright. Even so, wouldn't it be great to humiliate him again by being his savior?

Those thoughts were in his head as Duskshadow leaped onto the lowest branch, and started to make his way upwards. Thistleclaw yowled, "Don't be so reckless!"

At times when there no sturdy branches to leap to, he unsheathed his claws and made the climb painstakingly slow. "Help me!" wailed Rowanpaw. Duskshadow grinned to himself and leaped onto another branch, when suddenly a squirrel darted out of its shelter, scrambling upwards. The rustle broke his concentration, and before Duskshadow understood what was happening, his grip on the bark was loose.

There was a sudden moment of vertigo as he plunged downwards. He flailed with his paws to grab hold onto something, _anything_, but the trunk was too far away, the branches too weak to hold on to. The ground rushed up to meet him.

_I couldn't make it_, were his last thoughts, as Thistleclaw made the climb in his place…


	5. Consequences

A/N: Finally, the plot reveals itself

_A/N: Finally, the plot reveals itself! Well, sort… of. And a side-note: In the beginning of the chapter, I expect you all to know who the three cats are. Just can't be bothered to name them, you know? Sigh._

**Chapter 5 – Consequences**

Duskshadow woke in the middle of the gathering island before the great tree where the leaders stood upon its branches to speak.

Looking around in confusion, he spotted three cats: a blue-gray she-cat, a flame-colored ginger tom, and a huge dark brown tabby tom with broad shoulders. "Who are you?" he challenged.

"You, who were the pride of the Clan, has now fallen," came the meow from the she-cat. "What will you do now, Duskshadow? You shall never end another cat's life, or earn any glory…"

"You'll never look down upon anyone…"

"…And you'll never be a true warrior," finished the brown tabby. "Both StarClan and ThunderClan honor you for your talent and skill on the battlefield, but you will never be recognized as a warrior in either, unless you learn what being a true warrior really is."

"I _am_ a warrior! I was going to save Rowanpaw even if he hates my guts!"

"Rescue him," murmured the blue-gray she-cat, "or humiliate him?"

The flame-colored cat stepped forward. "Will you be able to learn as well as you can master a fighting move? The choice is yours, Dusk_paw_. Learn and be rewarded, or die with your pride."

Before Duskshadow could argue further, darkness started to swirl and cover the three cats. He started to yowl, defying the darkness—when a huge black face appeared before him. "Duskshadow?"

"—Ravenpaw!" Duskshadow tried to leap to his paws, but the pain in his right hindleg was blinding. He staggered and collapsed.

A gray tabby she-cat rushed to him, mewing, "Stay still! How can you expect your leg to heal if you won't relax?" _Leg to heal?_

"What do you mean? What happened?"

Ravenpaw rolled her eyes. "You fell from the Sky Oak," she snapped. At first Duskshadow didn't understand her agitation until he remembered. _The apprentices hate me too, not just Rowanpaw. I'm so mousebrained!_

Wildstorm nudged the rushes binding his leg in place, and meowed sternly, "And make sure you get some more rest after eating. Ravenpaw, fetch him something, will you?"

The black she-cat seemed all too happy to carry out the task, and exited the den. Duskshadow had a nagging feeling in his stomach—not just the hunger; he felt like he hadn't eaten for _moons_—but a guilt, as sharp as Wildstorm's commands. _Is this my punishment? What, then, is the point of a warrior other than glory?_ Had he really been so blind to the truth?

Wildstorm left the den, probably to tell Foxstar that he was awake, and Ravenpaw reentered with a fat mouse. "Eat," was all she said as she dumped the prey before him.

He started to eat the mouse, grateful for the food, but as Ravenpaw almost glared at him as he gulped down the meal, he felt too uncomfortable. And while he rarely felt uncomfortable, he felt the need to say something. "You're a medicine cat. Don't you have better things to do, other than sit there and glare at me? It won't help anyone, least of all my leg."

Ravenpaw blinked, unable to reply. _Weak in the insults, huh?_ His old confidence was coming back to him, when he remembered the three cats' warning. Were they from StarClan? They must be.

"Still nothing to do? You must be a terrible medicine cat."

"And you?" she retorted. "You're the terrible excuse for a ThunderClan warrior with foxdung for honor."

"So what does the little medicine cat know about honor?" he spat, stung from her reply that was too close to the mark. Duskshadow calmed down and reviewed what he knew of Ravenpaw. She aspired to become a warrior, until it was discovered that her right eye was blind. She could never hunt properly, nor judge an enemy's distance and location properly. Instead of burdening her mentor, Ravenpaw had decided to become a medicine cat apprentice.

"You shamed Rowanpaw in front of the other Clans. What could he do then, but hate you for being so perfect?"

"Well, I think he ought to blame himself for being stupid enough to attack me when he wasn't even strong enough to beat me in the first place!" he snapped. "Don't hate me for being better. Maybe it's better this way, don't you think? I could be of so much help to the Clan, but I'm stuck here when we can have the other Clans trembling in their skins."

Ravenpaw rounded on him and hissed, "You _goaded_ him. You're cockier than Rowanpaw ever was, and everyone knows that somehow you knew how to counter his attack. He told us about it before the Gathering! Either you're really talented and using your gift for the wrong things, or you were _spying!_"

So Ravenpaw wasn't stupid after all. Her replies were getting ever closer to the mark. "Fine. Believe whatever you like. At least I can _catch_ my enemy, which is more than could be said for _you_." That produced the desired effect; Ravenpaw stopped talking and glared at him with cold deep blue eyes. He countered that with a stare of his own, until she finally looked away.

Duskshadow sighed inwardly. _If this is the punishment for me doing that to Rowanpaw and being so haughty, I'm ready to repent anytime!_


	6. Despair

Chapter 6 – Despair

**Chapter 6 – Despair**

Wildstorm was horrified when she entered the den to see Duskshadow trying to stretch his legs while ignoring the pain. _"What are you doing?!"_ Her gasp caused Duskshadow to freeze. "You'll never heal your leg this way!" Wildstorm snapped, using a firm forepaw to force him down on the nest. "Do you _want_ to stay here forever?"

"If I stay here any longer I won't be able to even fight when I get better!" he complained. "Can't I do _anything_ other than eat and sleep here?"

"No," came the stern answer. _She talks to be as if I'm a little kit! I'll fall behind this way!_

Duskshadow sighed. There was absolutely nothing to do in this den, but watch the two medicine cats carrying herbs in and out. Well, as Stormclaw taught him, it was easier to fight a battle when you understood your enemy's way of thinking, and any weakness they may have.

First he observed Wildstorm. The old she-cat seemed full of energy unlike the other cats her age in the elders' den; she would have to give up her medicine cat duties soon and pass the job to Ravenpaw. He noticed small things: she sometimes limped on her left hind leg, and walked more confidently on her right. He stopped and shook his head. _Why am I thinking of these things as if they're weaknesses in an enemy?_

Nevertheless he did the same with Ravenpaw. There was nothing else to do. She was a pretty big cat, younger than him yet stood just as tall. It was hard to tell that she was blind in one eye—both were bright blue. He could only tell when she kept turning her head to see with her left eye when she was trying to sort the herbs.

He sighed again, and this time Ravenpaw noticed. "Hungry again?"

"No. I'm rotting in this stupid den of yours."

"Then do it without the attitude." Ravenpaw turned to sort the herbs again.

Again, he changed to topic. "So, when are you getting your medicine cat name? When Wildstorm dies?" _It won't be so long till she does._

"She'll give me my name when she thinks I'm ready to be a full medicine cat." _When is that? When she goes to join StarClan?_

"And what do you care? Just die or heal already."

"Now that's a grumpy medicine cat apprentice. No wonder our injured cats heal so quickly—they just want to stop sharing the same den as you." _Insulting, insulting, always insulting. What is wrong with me?_

Yet again, she shut her mouth. Duskshadow continued, "Well, I don't care. I'm gonna be the best warrior in ThunderClan anyways, while you look after the others with stinking herbs."

Or so he thought.

"Think you're ready?" mewed Wildstorm. The camp was empty; all the cats were either training their apprentices or hunting. Duskshadow liked it this way—he wouldn't want the other cats to see him this weak. "Just test your leg gently on the ground."

When he did, pain lanced up this leg, and he immediately lifted it back up. "Are you sure it's healed?"

"That's up to whether it hurts too much to walk!" Duskshadow bit his lip and tried again, but his leg wouldn't stop hurting. It felt like his bones were reattached, yet they were attached in the wrong way.

He gave up, and collapsed. "I can't do this."

Foxstar and Ravenpaw were watching as well, when the ginger-and-white leader finally meowed gently, "Just accept it, Duskshadow. It'll never mend."

The familiar rush of anger gave him enough energy to make him try again, but Foxstar continued, "You heard the tales of back before the Great Journey in ThunderClan's old home. Cinderpelt's leg broke, and it never mended properly, like you. She could never be a warrior, then."

"What about the stories the elders tell us of Brightheart? She lost an eye _and_ an ear, but she grew to be a warrior in her own right!"

"I know how you feel, Duskshadow!" mewed Foxstar sharply. _Liar. How can you know if you've never had your leg like this for the rest of your life?_ "But we've all seen you do well in the daylight Gathering, and you always depended on your speed to defeat your opponent. How can you do that with three legs?"

There was an uncomfortable silence, as despair washed down on Duskshadow. At least there was one thing that was going well for him: there were no cats in the clearing to see him like this. _I'm useless._


	7. Reprieve

Chapter 7 – Reprieve

**Chapter 7 – Reprieve**

_Three moons later—_

"Dawncloud will be the deputy of ThunderClan."

His sister looked proud as the Clan congratulated her, while he listened to the ceremony from inside the medicine cat's den. One small part of him felt proud of his sister as well; she was determined to become Clan leader while he himself was not. And whatever pride he had in himself had vanished, to be replaced with that terrible sense of uselessness. He ate the Clan's prey when he himself didn't bring in any. What was he to ThunderClan but a burden?

_You were once the best_, Duskshadow thought. Now, what was he? StarClan took just one of his four legs, and he was done. _Was that all I was? Was I just a hind leg?_ It was absurd.

Ravenwing entered the den with herbs in her mouth. Duskshadow recognized the scent of thyme. Ravenwing had received her name when Wildstorm passed away just one moon ago, and when Foxstar offered Duskshadow the same path that Cinderpelt the medicine cat had taken, he refused. _I can't just forsake my namesake. I don't save lives; I take them._

But being a medicine cat would at least help the Clan. Well, Ravenwing would hate having _him_ for a medicine cat apprentice. _How ironic will _that_ be?_

"Aren't you going to congratulate your sister? She's probably going to be leader in a few moons—Foxstar's getting old."

Duskshadow didn't answer. Instead, he got up and mewed, "I'm going out."

Ravenwing narrowed her eyes. "I'm going with you."

"Why? I'm not going to run away."

"If you do something stupid like climbing another tree, you won't be able to even walk."

"Listen to what you're saying. You think I'm stupid enough to climb a tree with three legs?" Without waiting for an answer, he hobbled away as fast as three legs could take him. His fourth leg was dragging on the ground, useless. Ravenwing followed stubbornly, slowing her pace to follow at his back.

Staying out of camp was bliss, free of that feeling of uselessness and away from the eyes of the apprentices. At least, most of the apprentices were warriors now; Rowanheart had an apprentice and Duskshadow suspected that he was teaching the apprentice to hate him. One thing was still going for him, though: his reputation. Most of the cats he had slept with in the apprentices' den still seemed to respect him—not really respect, but as if they _feared_ him, even with his bad leg.

He had no particular destination in mind, but he found himself in the training hollow, the ground covered with soft and springy moss. Duskshadow remembered the old days of training with Stormclaw. Cats could say that he had a great talent for fighting, but he still had to practice just as much as any other cat.

Ravenwing mewed, "What do you want to do _here?_"

On that springy moss surface, he felt as if he wasn't crippled. And when he felt like this, he wanted to feel that exhilarating sense of being able to _fight_. He could feel Ravenwing's presence at his back, wondering what he was doing. Without warning, he slid out his claws and whirled, extending his left hind leg to sweep Ravenwing's legs from underneath her.

He was a dark golden blur when he moved, but the medicine cat moved just as quick. She leaped over his leg and bristled. "What do you think you're—"

"This." Using only one leg to pounce had hardly any strength to allow him to leap at an enemy more than a foxtail away, but Ravenwing was right before him, and he felt better than he had when he was cooped up in the medicine cat's den. He leaped with a snarl, and when he tried to rake his claws over her shoulder, she jerked back.

Before he fell from the Sky Oak, he would have continued the onslaught by rearing on his hind legs and slashing continuously until the other cat's guard broke, but with his crippled leg that was impossible. _This'll be more of a challenge—a crippled cat against a one-eyed medicine cat._

And _because_ she was a medicine cat, he intended to bring her down quickly. Even with three legs, he was still good enough for that. He was filled with a wild energy. _This is what I was made for._ He felt five times better than when Foxstar was crushing his hopes of becoming the best warrior in all four Clans.

But when he pressed the attack while she either dodged or endured with tremendous endurance, he had doubts. And then the realization came: _She is stronger than I am._

Strength was nothing. In his fight with that hulking RiverClan apprentice, strength urged the RiverClan cat to keep attacking while Duskshadow conserved his own energy to strike back later, when his enemy was fatigued and exhausted. But even so, this was a _medicine cat_, with only one eye. _My skills have died with my leg. And staying inside that cursed medicine cat den for four moons haven't helped either!_

He was panting for air, while Ravenwing suddenly surged with strength. When he leaped, she met him in the air with sheathed paws and a surprising brute strength beneath her black fur. Again it was hard to tell that she was blind in one eye, but she fought like she could see from both. "Give up!" she snarled, blocking his weak attacks with a raised paw. _"Yield!"_

Duskshadow answered with a spitting snarl and lashed back in fury. She dodged easily. _Now I know how Rowanheart has felt, every time I beat him. Younger, but better._

_The sounds must scare all the prey from here to the lake,_ Duskshadow thought grimly as Ravenwing finally pinned him down with a paw to his throat. She was panting hard as well, and her paw pressed down so hard that Duskshadow thought wildly that she would throttle him. Finally, she let go. Without a word, she bounded away towards the camp.

Duskshadow stayed, but as he trudged back to camp, he didn't feel despair anymore. It was reprieve. He had a new dream: to train harder than ever, to become as famous as one-eyed and one-eared Brightheart, as well-known as Cinderpelt the crippled medicine cat. Only this time, he would succeed where Cinderpelt herself failed: finding a way to become a great warrior with a handicap.


	8. Goals

Chapter 8 – Goals

**Chapter 8 – Goals**

How long had it been since he had a goal? When Duskshadow really thought about it, he remembered the answer: _I wanted to be like the warrior Stormclaw was._ And his dream seemed to come true when he was apprenticed to the ThunderClan deputy.

He remembered the cats he had fought as a young apprentice, just before his talent really showed through. There was a band of fourteen outlaw cats, some from each Clan, and a few rogues. They had wanted to create a superior Clan to lead the others, and the decisive battle between the band of rogues and ThunderClan was near the lake. Duskshadow was as frightened as any apprentice should have been; the cats he had to fight were legendary: Bladeclaw of ShadowClan, Harewhisker of WindClan, Nightstream of RiverClan, and mad Flamestorm of ThunderClan were amongst the most famous of them.

The battle itself was a popular story that the elders told the kits and apprentices, but after Duskshadow listened to a few, he knew they knew nothing of the real battle. Bladeclaw, Harewhisker, and Nightstream were seasoned warriors who believed in their leader, Flamestorm. _The Wildfire,_ he was called. Flamestorm believed that he was a second Firestar, and wanted to rule the other Clans. In the fight that ensued between ThunderClan and a few of the helping WindClan cats, Duskshadow chanced to fight the Wildfire himself. In the tales the elders told, Flamestorm was rumored to not give a mousetail for the warrior code; all he cared about was winning the war.

_What a foe he was._ He could have faced all the apprentices in ThunderClan and escaped with only a few lucky scratches, and Duskshadow was no match for him. He could hardly block his swift enraged blows, and he remembered the mad cat's mocks as he scored blow after blow. In the end Stormclaw had rescued him, creeping up behind Flamestorm and breaking his neck with a powerful attack.

_The excited apprentice that I was back then, when did he die? When I found out that no apprentice in ThunderClan could beat me?_ He had wanted to become Stormclaw, yet along the way he had become the mad Wildfire instead.

Duskshadow sighed and went back to work.

The wind was blowing hard from the moorland today; the gusts were causing countless leaves to fall. Imagining that the leaves were enemies, he readied himself and lunged. He kept using his good hind leg to try and strengthen it, to make up for the loss of his other leg. It seemed like he was getting nowhere, but once he could actually jump a bit farther than before.

After training, he went back to camp to sleep with the feeling of accomplishment. _I've forgotten how good that could feel_.

Before he could drift completely into sleep, however, he heard a rustle as a cat entered the den. The dark golden pelt told him that it was his sister. Her green eyes shone in the darkness as she mewed, "Duskshadow, are you awake?"

"I am now." He sat up, his crippled leg hidden from view. "What do you want? It's almost midnight!"

Dawncloud's eyes were full of cunning. "I'm going to be leader in a few days," she announced. "Foxstar is dying."

"What?" His ears were pricked forward, and his own eyes were filled with worry. "How? He's old but he's pretty healthy—"

"Ravenwing was treating Foxstar today, when you were gone from camp. No one else knows either, but me. I'm really lucky—I have a lot of time to pick my own deputy!"

Her words felt _wrong_ to him. Before, he would have been excited at the sense of having so much information—but he remembered the words of the three cats in this dream, and what Ravenwing had told him moons before: _You're the terrible excuse for a ThunderClan cat with foxdung for honor._

"So why are you telling me, o sly little deputy?"

"I'm going to make ThunderClan the most powerful Clan of all. I'm not going to rule over the others, like that stupid old Flamestorm wanted—but I'll make the best warriors, and sooner or later, the other Clans will at least try not to anger us because they'll know we can always beat them."

"Saying that you're not Flamestorm doesn't mean it's true, Dawncloud. What are you saying? Feeling great because our leader is dying? That's betraying us right there."

"_Us?_ I came here to tell you that I'm going to pick you for deputy!"

His belly twisted with excitement, anger, and confusion. "Are you nuts? Making the cripple _deputy_ isn't going to make them fear ThunderClan; they're going to _mock_ us!"

There was a slow, evil grin on Dawncloud's face. "You have no idea what you're talking about, brother. You know, Rowanheart's still scared of you; he tells us sometimes of what he did to you. I could have killed him right then and there, but then I'd never become leader. The point is, your leg doesn't matter! Even a crippled warrior may inspire fear, if that warrior is _you_. You were a warrior about four moons before the other cats, and they saw you in the daylight Gathering. It's all about _reputation_."

"This plotting makes me curious, Dawncloud. Tell me, dear sister, was Stormclaw's death really an _accident?_"

Dawncloud's eyes were wide, but he could tell there was no fear in them. "Stormclaw was a fool. He could be such a powerful leader but his stupid _honor_—"

"You know," he interrupted, "you're sounding a lot like Flamestorm."

Dawncloud pulled back her paw to slap his muzzle, but he blocked the blow with a paw. "I won't stop you from your little plans to take over the world. Just leave me out of it. Whatever you say about my reputation, I'm still the one with foxdung for honor, and I am in no state to kill the next cat who says it."

His sister narrowed her eyes, and marched furiously away. _Now that's funny,_ he thought. _I've actually done something right in my life._


	9. Threat

A/N: It's been some time since I updated; it's because my grandparents are on vacation in Cancun (Spelling

_A/N: It's been some time since I updated; it's because my grandparents are on vacation in Cancun (Spelling?) and my aunt and uncle are strict about 'no computer on weekdays, and do anything you want on weekends' rule. Oh, the long time also gave me the idea of a plot twist… read and review please!_

**Chapter 9 – Threat**

The very day Dawncloud—no, Dawn_star_ returned from the Moonpool from receiving her nine lives after Foxstar had passed away, she sent an apprentice to fetch Duskshadow to meet her near the lake.

Duskshadow despaired at first—he hoped she wasn't going to press him into becoming her deputy—but he still limped out of camp. He felt Ravenwing's presence at his back, following again, but this time he ignored her.

They had exited camp like this for two days after the first time they had sparred in the training hollow, and each fight ended in victory for the medicine cat. Well, she wasn't a type of cat to boast about defeating Duskshadow, and he _felt_ he was getting better.

He would have been huffing and puffing as he found Dawnstar, but his daily exercises out of camp helped regain his old stamina back. "So now that the fearsome Dawncloud has become leader, what'll you do with this power?" he asked as he emerged from the trees.

Dawnstar turned with helplessness in her green eyes. "Please, Duskshadow, I _know_ we can do it! ThunderClan will be the strongest Clan around the lake, but I need you as my deputy—"

"_No._ How many times do I have to say _no!?_" he snarled. _I hope you're there, Ravenwing,_ he thought. _You're the witness to her madness. Just don't be mousebrained enough to jump out!_ "I was made to _fight_, not to talk and bandy words with other leaders. That's all the elders tell us! The legendary Firestar was a talker, not a fighter. I don't want to become the same."

Dawnstar flinched from his rage, but her own fire was showing in her green eyes. "Fine," she spat. "You say you were made to fight. Don't worry, dear brother, if it's fighting you want, it's fighting I'll give you. I'll make _Rowanheart_ deputy, how would you like that?"

Duskshadow rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? Rowanheart's a mousebrained fool who charges into battle, falls to envy easily, and he can't even _think_ before he fights!"

"Then what is your suggestion, brother?"

"Willowstep. He's a senior warrior, not too old and not too young and rash like Rowanheart. He's well-known at Gatherings, so while you play at war and plot your little take-over-the-Clans game, he can gain enough respect from ThunderClan so the other Clans won't suspect a thing."

Dawnstar blinked, and murmured, "You know, I really think Foxstar was a mousebrain not to replace Stormclaw with you."

_If you mean I have the brains to be a tactical genius, it doesn't mean I have to be leader if I don't want to!_ Without another word, Duskshadow turned back to camp.

As he passed the first tree, he saw Ravenwing's huge blue eyes as she gaped at him. "Hide, mousebrain," he hissed under his breath so even Dawnstar couldn't hear. Ravenwing understood what he meant and crept off in the other direction, towards the Sky Oak and the training grounds with steady paws.

When he finally reached the camp, he picked out a vole from the fresh-kill pile, trying to think on what Dawnstar was trying to do with a full belly, when an apprentice pelted into camp yowling, "Dawnstar has brought in a Clan of rogues!"

Sure enough, there was a terrifying beating of marching paws that sounded like a stampede. At the front was Dawnstar, her golden fur shining like the sun and her eyes gleaming with triumph, with a massive host of rogues at her back.


	10. Oath

Chapter 10 – Oath

**Chapter 10 – Oath**

"_What is the meaning of this?"_ hissed Duskshadow, limping forward to his sister. "Have you gone mad, bringing rogues into our _camp_!?"

His sister regarded him coolly. "This _is_ part of my plan, Duskshadow. ThunderClan will be the strongest and largest Clan of all."

"What, so this is your army?" spat Duskshadow. A few of the rogues hissed in defense, but most of them were flea-ridden and scrawny, and didn't look like they could even beat the youngest ThunderClan apprentice.

The other cats in camp were all emerging from the dens, and their response to Dawnstar was surprise and anger. Rowanheart stepped forward to challenge the rogue cats with mocking threats that sounded eerily like Duskshadow when he was an apprentice. Finally a few cats pushed forward to accept Rowanheart's challenge.

These few cats were well-muscled and had numerous battle scars upon their pelts; even Rowanheart seemed less confident. _These must be the leaders of a sort,_ thought Duskshadow. Ravenwing appeared beside him, apparently having reached camp after the rogues reached it. "What's going on?" she whispered.

"Dawnstar's apparently joining them to our Clan. You heard her."

Ravenwing's eyes were wide as Dawnstar leaped onto the Highledge to announce that she had recruited the rogues to make ThunderClan the strongest of all the Clans around the lake. An elder yowled out, "That makes you no better than Tigerstar, foxdung!"

Dawnstar flicked her tail to signal to the rogue cats, and one stepped out to score his claws across the elder's throat. There was a choked gasp as the elder collapsed into a pool of blood.

"Stop! Dawnstar, by doing this you break the warrior code and bring shame on us!" yowled Ravenwing. _Stupid fool! Keep quiet or they'll kill you too!_

Dawnstar apparently had the same notion. "Anyone who defies my decision will face my own warriors. Why can't you see that with these cats, we can actually be the best? We of ThunderClan shall bask in the glory of victory forevermore!"

_It seems like Dawnstar has taken my ambition_. Before he broke his leg, he would have agreed eagerly to support her cause, but now, the words of the three StarClan cats roared in his ears, and he recalled all Stormclaw had taught him of the honor of a warrior. _How is taking over the Clans with an army of rogues honorable?_

If Stormclaw were alive right now, he would have taken a long look at the group of rogues and scoffed with disdain, "Have ThunderClan fallen so low in the short time I was gone?" _It was partly my fault,_ he admitted to himself. _I could have stopped Dawnstar—or could I?_

Before Duskshadow could do anything, Ravenwing had snuck behind Dawnstar on the Highledge—her rogues were on the other side of camp, and couldn't see the black medicine cat climbing the pile of stones—but the ThunderClan cats could see, and they seemed to approve. When Ravenwing lunged at Dawnstar, knocking both of them off the Highledge, all the cats, including the youngest kit and the oldest elder, unsheathed their claws with a caterwaul that echoed in the hollow of the ThunderClan camp.

Dushshadow instinctively unsheathed his claws as well, but didn't know what to do. Did he have a duty to his blood and kin, or was his duty to ThunderClan more important? As if StarClan heard his question, the familiar voice of Stormclaw whispered in his ear: _Do you remember the words of your warrior ceremony?_

How could he forget the words that were repeated for every new warrior, yet each time brought forth such pride and happiness?

_Do you, Duskpaw, promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan at all costs?_

The voice murmured, _And what did you say, Duskpaw?_

He had his answer then.

Duskshadow glanced around to see Ravenwing holding her own against two other rogues, but she was bleeding from several wounds, and for the first time he could see how much one blind eye could cost a warrior in a battle. He hopped over to the Highledge, dragging himself up as best as he could, wishing for his good four legs again, and once he stood where the Clan leaders stood to address the Clan, he braced himself and yowled, "Everyone stop fighting!"

The Clan cats froze, but the rogues seemed not to hear him. Dawnstar shoved off the warrior she was battling and commanded, "Stop! Let us listen to what my dear brother has to say to us." She turned to face him with a mocking smile on her face.

He began, "The tales tell us of Tigerstar, the legendary warrior who betrayed ThunderClan and tried to murder his own leader with a band of rogues. But while the rogues Tigerstar gathered were unkempt and unruly savages"—Duskshadow heard several indignant hisses from the rogues—"but let us not forget the great leader Blackstar, and the few rogues he reformed into ShadowClan warriors. We like to say that ThunderClan is the most honorable of the bunch;"—this time he heard agrees coming from the crowd of ThunderClan cats—"but we have fallen on hard times.

"ShadowClan accepted Tigerstar because they had lost their leader and deputy, and were desperate to regain their former esteem. How is our situation any different?" Duskshadow could tell that the ThunderClan cats were displeased, but most of them seemed to realize that he was right. "While we dominated the daylight Gathering competition, we have to admit that we are running low on warriors and kits. Leaf-bare will approach in a few months, and we must be prepared." He smiled for the first time in moons—the smile he used when he felt invincible.

There was silence, and the ThunderClan cats slowly started to nod and mew their assent. Dawnstar's expression was mixed with triumph and anger—triumph that she was able to invite all these rogues into the Clan, and anger that her brother still refused to become her deputy. They all seemed content, and the rogues seemed relieved as if they didn't want to risk their lives in a war against ThunderClan…

…All except Ravenwing, whose blue eyes were clouded with hurt and disbelief. _I trusted you,_ those eyes wailed at him, but the misunderstanding filled Duskshadow with fury. _You poor stupid half-blind fool,_ he might have said, if only all these cats weren't here, with watching eyes and listening ears. _Can't you see what I'm doing?_

He limped to the medicine cat den, and for once he didn't have Ravenwing dogging his steps. _I don't care. ThunderClan needs to be saved, but if she's too mousebrained to realize it, she can get herself killed if she wants to._ He had more pressing things to ponder about: how to defeat Dawnstar.


	11. Retribution

A/N: I –just- noticed that they automatically put in 'Chapter 11: Retribution on top, so when I type in the chapter name, you see a repeat

_A/N: I –just- noticed that they automatically put in 'Chapter 11: Retribution on top, so when I type in the chapter name, you see a repeat. Oh wow, I can't believe I noticed that…Too late to change it, mwahahahaha._

**Chapter 11 – Retribution**

When Duskshadow finally made up his mind, he found Ravenwing sullenly sorting through herbs again and again, as if the action calmed her furious mind. After Dawnstar successfully integrated the rogues into ThunderClan—the majority being apprentices despite their age—Ravenwing refused to talk to Duskshadow like a friend anymore. It reminded him of the other apprentices' coldness to him. Only this time, it actually stung.

"Ravenwing, I have to talk to you. Privately." There were guards posted outside the medicine cat's den, 'to make sure she won't cause any trouble,' Dawnstar had said. Of course, Dawnstar trusted him not to betray her—not entirely; she couldn't be stupid if she were to try and reign her Clan—and the two rogues standing outside the den stood aside for him. "We'll be back in a few minutes," he told the guards. The guards exchanged funny looks, and one meowed, "Good luck," as if Duskshadow were courting Ravenwing. _Of course the rogue warriors wouldn't know the warrior code well enough to realize that medicine cats couldn't take a mate!_

It was all the better for him; they wouldn't suspect his own treachery. He led Ravenwing to the familiar place: the training hollow. "What do you want, Duskshadow?" Ravenwing sighed. It alarmed him slightly how dead her voice was, and how her blue eyes lost its stubborn gleam.

"You know that after what I said, Dawnstar trusts me like the brother I am." Ravenwing looked like she didn't care. "I am inclined to play the part for her—"

She suddenly seemed to revive and hissed, "Then you're a traitor to ThunderClan as well! Why can't you help the other cats and try to overthrow—"

He interrupted her with, "That's the stubborn one-eyed medicine cat I remember. Now why don't you behave like a good apprentice and _listen_!" His sharp mew silenced her. "I want you to run away, and spread the word to ShadowClan, RiverClan, and WindClan. Tell them what Dawnstar is plotting."

"Why can't _you_ go, if you're so determined to deny that you're a traitor?"

Duskshadow felt an overwhelming exhaustion. He was tired of Dawnstar trying to use his reputation; tired of Ravenwing's stupidity; and tired of the rogues' constant violations of the warrior code that Stormclaw had hammered into him. "Have you herbs stuffed in your ears, or are you half-deaf as well as half-blind? I said my sister trusts me, and if I run off she'll turn out all the rogues whether they're trained in battle or not. They outnumber ThunderClan four to one, and they can overwhelm the other Clans my numbers. RiverClan is weaker because of the greenleaf Twolegs, WindClan has been suffering slightly because of Twoleg hunters taking their rabbits, and ShadowClan… ShadowClan is at the moment the smallest Clan.

"But she knows that you defy her rule. She can't kill you because you're the ThunderClan medicine cat, but then again, even if you run off, she'll underestimate you. How can scrawny long-legged half-blind medicine cat threaten Dawnstar? But with my reputation, you know how Dawnstar will feel."

Ravenwing listened for once with shocked and wide eyes. "I-I'm sorry about—"

"I don't care for your _apologies_. Save ThunderClan or ruin it, it makes no matter to me. Now get out of my sight." They were bold words for a crippled cat, but he was furious—furious of her accusations and her mistrust at every little thing he tried to do. _Rowanheart. It all grows from him._ He had a sudden mad thought, to sink his claws into Rowanheart's fur and hear him whimper for mercy, but the thought went away as quickly as it had come.

When he returned to camp, he carried a false expression of regret and disappointment. The guards outside the medicine cat's den seemed to sense a foul mood, and drew the obvious conclusion: whatever they wanted to talk about, Ravenwing had turned him down.

The next day, he told Dawnstar that Ravenwing had gone out for herbs. He knew Dawnstar too well—proud and underestimating. And Ravenwing was the last cat to underestimate. Leaving his sister's den, he headed towards the apprentices' den. As he had expected, most of them were still snoozing as usual—the sun wasn't up, but he felt the same distaste that Stormclaw must have felt when he saw Rowanheart and the others still sleeping when they could be hunting or practicing battle moves.

Duskshadow raised his voice. "Everyone, wake up." The apprentices whined but dared not disobey—some of the flea-ridden rogues that Dawnstar had brought were untrained yet terrifying—and when they saw the golden crippled tom instead of a foul rogue, their moods seemed to grow worse. _Of course, they think I'm a traitor. Well, I'm past caring all that foxdung._

"What do you want, Duskshadow?"

"It's not even sunhigh yet!"

He silenced them simply with: "Ravenwing is raising a rebellion against Dawnstar. Anyone interested?"

_A/N 2: All right, the ending sentences were pretty dumb, but review please? Thank you to the loyal reviewers and the new ones; you guys make my day. :D_


	12. Recognition

_A/N: I know, I know, I hate including the rogues in the story, but then again, there was nothing else that would fit in MY ending…_

**Chapter 12 – Recognition**

Ravenwing set out with mixed feelings that bothered her like a tick she couldn't reach easily. This was _Duskshadow_, warrior prodigy who could best almost everyone in ThunderClan in a single battle—not to mention that traitorous Dawnstar's kin—who was sending her on a mission to save ThunderClan. Because of _who_ he was, Ravenwing felt an uncomfortable feeling that Duskshadow was just tricking her to kick her out of ThunderClan—and the thought of saving ThunderClan was a heavy burden.

But didn't Duskshadow _change?_ She was lost in her own thoughts when she was jerked back to reality when the stench of ShadowClan reached her nostrils. The scent was fresh; a ShadowClan patrol had just passed by. Firming up her courage and resolve, she padded forward with deliberation, with her chin high and eyes burning with determination.

Duskshadow had gathered only three apprentices in the training hollow. Not even the lowliest of the rogues would believe that Duskshadow, cripple that he was, could train all ten apprentices of ThunderClan—so he kept most of them back at camp. Their turns would come later—for now, he had to direct his attention to the three apprentices in front of him.

"So," he began, "ThunderClan has had some grievous losses: Foxstar, Stormclaw, and even Wildstorm. Dawnstar is trying to replace them with those foul fleabag rogues. We can't allow that to happen, now, can we?"

The three cats meowed their answer loudly, in unison. Duskshadow wondered if Stormclaw and the other warriors that fought beside him against mad Flamestorm felt the way he did when they taught him their tricks and methods of battle. _I can't fight this battle alone. So, I'll have to pass on the knowledge that Stormclaw passed onto me._

Before choosing to try and win the apprentices over to his side, he argued with himself: _How can apprentices even think of following me: a cripple and related by blood to our mad leader?_ Those doubts disappeared when the apprentices all cried out eagerly to join him in a rebellion. _They are young, and brave. They all thirst for the action that I used to long for._

First, he demonstrated the moves that he had devised from the sparring with Ravenwing. They were all designed to overwhelm the enemy with agility—something Duskshadow did not possess after he lost his leg, but regained through the daily training. If Duskshadow could now match a healthy warrior in speed, then an apprentice with four good legs—put through the proper training—could gain the agility that could challenge a WindClan cat's, and more importantly, overwhelm Dawnstar's rogues.

They were of something unheard of amongst the apprentices, and the fact that they were learning what even their warrior mentors never learned made the lesson exciting. Before the sun set, he had given the basic lessons to all ten apprentices.

They would never need to meet secretly again. Duskshadow had given them the secret task of offering to gather herbs for Ravenwing while she was gone. Even when one of the rogues asked why so many apprentices—they all worked out in pairs—were going out to help the medicine cat, they replied that they 'kinda felt sorry for her, with her one eye'. It seemed to serve.

Duskshadow sighed as he lay sprawled in his nest. It was strangely quiet and lonely with Ravenwing gone. _I wonder how she's doing…_

"_What?"_

It was hard to tell whether the ShadowClan leader was angry that Dawnstar had broken the warrior code, or that he simply didn't believe her.

"It's true, Owlstar," she mewed, just in case the latter were true. "I may not be a proud warrior living honorably by the warrior code, with the strength of tooth and claw to support the Clan—but as a medicine cat I must do what is right for ThunderClan. I'm begging you, as a cat wanting peace for the four Clans, to join your forces with RiverClan and WindClan and drive these rogues from our camp."

There were two things Ravenwing detected from looking at Owlstar's eyes: his greed as he wondered what demands he may make in order to help ThunderClan, and contemplating whether this was all a trick to make ShadowClan drop their guards. "This is all very sudden," he answered with a purr. "So you, one-eyed medicine cat, is telling me to send as many warriors as I can to help save your Clan. You demand much, yet what is in it for us?"

"I demand nothing." Ravenwing tried to keep the anger out of her voice, but the thought of how a Clan leader, who was supposed to lead the Clan and have a duty to help the others in times of such trouble, was consumed by such greed made her bristle. "Think of it as… friendly advice, Owlstar. If you do not take the preemptive, Dawnstar will finish marshal her forces and overwhelm everyone by numbers. Why not save ShadowClan by taking them unawares, while the rogues are still in training?"

This brought a change in Owlstar—not just because of the logic behind Ravenwing's reasoning, but also because of the subtle threat in her tone. It was something unexpected of a cat who gave up the path of a warrior to collect herbs and run after every little injured cat in the Clan. Owlstar's eyes widened slightly, and smiled, reminding her of how Duskshadow entrusted her this task. "It seems you are more than you seem, one-eyed medicine cat," he rasped. "I shall discuss this with my senior warriors. Until we reach a decision, please stay here as an honored guest, Ravenwing of ThunderClan."

Since coming to the ShadowClan camp, it was the first time he had called her by her name.


	13. Truce

_A/N: Well, as for the chapter/sequel question: I don't think the ending that I've planned out (it may change; it depends) needs a sequel to it. Anyhow, this chapter is a lot longer than the previous ones; enjoy, and thank you for reviewing!_

**Chapter 13 – Truce**

"Now try to knock me off my paws," Duskshadow commanded the puny gray tabby apprentice. "Remember what we've been learning, Sootpaw." The small she-cat nodded and rushed.

Duskshadow had taught them three different ways to get an enemy off its feet; now it was up to him to determine which one Sootpaw would use. The first method was obvious: charge at the enemy and topple him over. Of course, even Sootpaw wasn't mousebrained enough to try that on a warrior three times her size—so perhaps she would leap to the side at the last moment, or—

Sootpaw was a gray blur as she pulled to the side at the last moment before colliding with Duskshadow, and before he knew it, the small gray tabby had rammed into his shoulder. She was too small to get an enemy warrior off his paws, but distracted as he was, she was able to make him slip and tumble into an embarrassing heap of fur.

"Good job," he laughed as he returned to his feet. "All the rogues are bigger than you, but when they're off their feet they're just as small as Sootpaw here." She didn't take it as an offense, but instead looked away shyly. "That's all for today, so have fun. Hunt, eat, or sleep—just remember not to leave your guard down."

_Next is RiverClan,_ Ravenwing thought grimly. She just hoped it wouldn't be harder to convince Silverstar, leader of RiverClan, than it was for Owlstar.

She crossed the Thunderpath, silent and unused since greenleaf had ended. She was now in RiverClan territory—now all she had to do was hope a patrol caught her. It would be easier to be spotted here and brought to the camp, instead of being found deep into RiverClan land; they may think her a spy. _I'm a medicine cat,_ she kept repeating to herself. _They can't stop me._

There was a yowl from the side. Four cats—two warriors and two apprentices—had surrounded her. "What are you doing here, ThunderClan foxdung?" challenged a bold apprentice, his fur standing on end. The warriors didn't even rebuke the apprentice for speaking so rudely before finding out what she wanted.

"I have an urgent message for Silverstar," she mewed as calmly as she could, although she couldn't resist bristling slightly. "It involves all four Clans around the lake. You have my word as a medicine cat that I did not come here to spy."

One warrior blinked, and straightened. "I am sorry," he apologized, though his voice was still hard. "With leaf-bare coming on, we are not as well fed as we have been. We'll show you the way to our camp." He flicked his tail at the apprentice, who was still glaring at Ravenwing with narrowed eyes, and showed her the way while one warrior followed behind to make sure she wouldn't run.

The camp was filled with lean RiverClan cats. All the warriors' ribs were etched starkly upon their pelts, and the hungry cats didn't fit in at all with the stereotypes that ThunderClan apprentices always joked about—that RiverClan was the well-fed and therefore slowest Clan. _In other words, they're just like us. All that's different is the way we fight, the way we hunt._ _If that's so, why do we always have such conflicts?_ All in all, she hoped Silverstar wasn't too narrow-minded to ignore Dawnstar's threat.

The beautiful silver-gray she-cat was waiting in her den of mud and reeds. "Ravenwing," acknowledged Silverstar with a nod, "ThunderClan's medicine cat. My warriors tell me that you have come with urgent news. What is it, so that you must travel all the way over here?"

_StarClan, give me strength._ Ravenwing took a deep breath, and began her story.

"So, Dawnstar thinks she can take over the Clans with a flea-ridden group of rogues." Silverstar's sparkling blue eyes seemed to laugh at her. "You have seen our warriors, how even we of RiverClan are suffering this leaf-bare—but I think our numbers can withstand a stampede of unruly savages."

Ravenwing had her answer planned out already. "With all due respect, Silverstar, I don't think you should count your warriors before they've been apprenticed. Think the long-term, _if_ your starving warriors somehow manage to be defeated by ThunderClan's rogues. We all know rogues don't give a mouse-tail for the warrior's code—I don't think they even understand the meaning of Clan boundaries. Imagine hordes of rogues crossing boundaries, _into_ RiverClan, stealing what little prey you have left. If Dawnstar can use them to defeat the other Clans, then she can surely use them to gather prey for ThunderClan alone.

"Surely there's too much risk?" she finally pleaded. "I told you, these '_unruly savages_' are being trained by Dawnstar herself. We of ThunderClan are too few to stop them, but with all the other Clans' help—"

Silverstar raised a paw to signal Ravenwing to stop. "I understand," she reassured. "I agree that the last thing RiverClan needs is a Clan of rogues that will probably do exactly as you predict. Very well—RiverClan will join your battle."

Relief washed over her. "Thank you," she murmured, dipping her head and turning to exit the den. RiverClan's hungry warriors stared at her in curiosity, but she ignored them as she set off in the direction of the last Clan that needed to be informed: WindClan.

It was the best time of her life, as she used her pent-up energy to bound across the hills and moor of WindClan territory. It reminded her of her old ambitions as an apprentice—not as a medicine cat apprentice, cooped up in camp to take care of the elders and the injured, but as a true warrior apprentice, with plenty of opportunities to run free.

There were no patrols in sight, and the WindClan scent was stale. _What could have happened to WindClan for them to not regularly send out patrols?_ She tracked the strongest scents to try and find out where their camp was. It wasn't too hard for her to finally find out where the camp was, and when she emerged, a sharp scent hit her nostrils.

The camp was nearly empty, and the cats that were outside the dens were lying on their sides with glazed eyes. They would cough from time to time, and the WindClan cats seemed even worse-fed than RiverClan.

She was noticed several heartbeats later. The WindClan medicine cat, Breezewhisker, was padding towards her with dejected amber eyes. "I'm sorry you've had to visit at such a bad time," he murmured. "As you can see, we've been stricken by early whitecough, and I can't find any catnip to treat it." _On our territory_, he meant, though Ravenwing knew she could use this.

"Good news then, Breezewhisker. ThunderClan has plenty of catnip to spare—I could fetch it in a few moments—but first, I must speak with Thistlestar."

Breezewhisker's eyes were filled with curiosity, but he dipped his head and led her to the WindClan leader's den. The air of the den was saturated with sickness, and Ravenwing's nose recoiled at the stench. Thistlestar was a few moons younger than Foxstar, but at his age whitecough was hard to overcome. But as sick as he was, his eyes were bright as he rasped, "What brings you here to WindClan at a time like this, Ravenwing?"

The tale was told yet again. "We need help from all the Clans," she finished. "ShadowClan and RiverClan have already agreed to lend their warriors not just to ThunderClan's cause, but to the cause of all four Clans." The WindClan leader was about to protest, but she talked over him loudly. "I know what you will say. WindClan is stricken by disease, and your medicine cat cannot find the herbs to cure it. What if ThunderClan were to give you the herbs to heal? What if I guaranteed a temporary truce between our Clans, after the rogues are driven from our camp, to give you time to grow stronger? Would you at least send your strongest cats to us? We need every warrior and even apprentices as well."

Thistlestar gazed at her with hopeful eyes. "Are you sure you can guarantee that your leader after Dawnstar is killed or driven off will accept this truce? You are but a medicine cat." _And half-blind, weak, and mousebrained as well,_ Ravenwing silently added to his sentence.

This time she added something other than what she had told the leaders of RiverClan and ShadowClan. "The cat who sent me to the three Clans is an honorable warrior, who would never dare to break his word," she mewed softly. "He was mentored by Stormclaw, was made a warrior moons before the regular time for valor and skill, and is willing to fight his kin to save ThunderClan. Though you've heard from Gatherings that he has lost the use of his leg, he still has enough influence to sway any leader's opinion."

The WindClan leader rose from his nest with strength that seemingly came from nowhere. "As warriors we must adapt to any environment, as has the warrior you spoke of. Very well—as soon as our best warriors have recovered, we shall come to your aid."


	14. Honor or Glory

_A/N: Thanks a LOT for the reviews! I say that I'm self-motivated to keep the chapters up, but they help a lot :D I decided to update a lot earlier because today happens to be cloudy—like, it looks like it's going to rain (Who doesn't like typing in rain? Really hope it rains today). And I have to make this particular chapter exciting (not necessarily longer, though), seeing as how it's my favorite number… Haha…_

**Chapter 14 – Honor or Glory**

Duskshadow was alone in the training hollow when Ravenwing padded up to him silently. To announce her entrance, she touched him lightly on his shoulder with his tail, and he turned with a look on his face that said, _What took so long?_

"So how'd it go?" he asked calmly, as if the medicine cat had just gone away on a hunt.

"ShadowClan, RiverClan, and WindClan have agreed to send us as many warriors they can spare. But Thistlestar asked who our leader will be, after Dawnstar's gone."

Duskshadow shrugged. "Anyone. You. So long as it's not me, I'll fight my part."

"Are you such a coward?"

"Have you bees in your—" He halted when her words just started to sink in. _I've been called reckless, talented, and the warrior with foxdung for honor._ But even Rowanheart—or any other cat—could call him a coward. "So what does the great medicine cat have to prove that I _am_ scared?"

Ravenwing's voice was strained and desperate. "You know why! There's no other cat fit to take over the leadership! The best cat to succeed Foxstar was Stormclaw, but he's dead and now the next best warrior is _you_! You were mentored by Stormclaw, and even if you lost—"

"I seem to recall that I was the one with foxdung for honor. With me as leader, ThunderClan will be worse off than now. How do you know I won't do the same thing as my sweet sister?"

Ravenwing's blue eyes looked knowingly at him. "I didn't come right away from WindClan. I had to see what was going on first—what if I came into a camp with no one left? What if I were too late? And then I saw you in the training hollow with those apprentices—and what you were doing."

Duskshadow laughed at her stupidity. "So what if I'm giving them training? We'll need all our teeth and claws in the fight to come. Even a cat with one eye should be able to see that."

"I'm not so _blind_ that I can't see what you're doing! You've _changed_, Duskshadow. I can't say whether it's for the better—but I know that you're so similar to your sister, and at the same time so _different_. Can't you see? Dawnstar has an army of untrained rogues who don't know the first thing about the warrior code, and couldn't be bothered to try and learn it. You have an army of apprentices, trained in moves that no one else knows how to counter—but all the same, they're bound by the warrior code—like you."

Duskshadow was mildly surprised, when it shouldn't have. _Of course I've changed, mousebrain,_ was what he wanted to say, but it wasn't like him. He knew what Stormclaw told him was right—he was honor-bound to the warrior code—but it felt so wrong to go against his nature, like licking his fur the wrong way or using a bird-stalking technique to hunt mice. "It's just… I know I've changed, Ravenwing, I really do. But what the heck, a leader should be a _leader_ in heart. And I can't find it in myself to do it."

"Following the warrior code isn't always easy, Duskshadow," Ravenwing meowed. "Do you think the legendary Firestar wanted to be leader? I'm sure, that along the way, that he grew to appreciate watching over ThunderClan. He wasn't able to sleep with his fellow warriors anymore, but did he have a choice? Maybe there was an older cat, more experienced and able to take on the job—but as deputy, he had no choice to take up that burden. I know you're not standing exactly on his pawprints—I know you're not deputy. But it's what Stormclaw would have wanted. No one might appreciate you anymore, especially Rowanheart, but this is your chance to prove them wrong, and save ThunderClan! What matters most to you, honor or glory?"

"You make it sound so easy," Duskshadow hissed. His voice was filled with malevolence, but inside, some part of him that was born of Stormclaw's lectures of the warrior code, wanted to agree with her. _Right now, there's no one even close to Stormclaw to succeed the leadership, even me. But I'm as closest as we can get._

They stood there while Ravenwing continued to glare at Duskshadow, and he continued to wrestle with his old ambitions of becoming the best warrior in all the Clans. Which was the more satisfying and easiest choice, honor or glory? Glory. Which was the wiser choice, the choice that Stormclaw's restless spirit would want him to choose? Honor.

Duskshadow finished his meditating and opened his eyes. "I guess I'm grateful that you think I've gone for the better. But I'll give you my answer to which is better—honor or glory." A ghost of that cutting smile touched his muzzle as he continued, "Why, the choice won't matter if we all end up failing and dying, will it?"

_Further note: After you read this chapter, you might think: Okay, Ravenwing might love Duskshadow. I'll tell you now: It's up to you, the reader, to guess whether or not they'll break the warrior code, fall in love, cliché cliché macho cliché. I think it's pretty obvious what'll happen, especially by the end of the story, but I'll tell you now that while I may nurture that little relationship, I'm firm that there won't be any romance in the story. 'Tis reminds me of The Little Prince—do they break the warrior code, or do they not? The outcome of the story will change completely on that one little guess…_


	15. Traitor

_A/N: Haha. The Duskshadow and Ravenwing thing, it's more like this uncomfortable feeling I get whenever I write out their conversations when they're alone. I have a fellow friend who also writes fanfics, and she's created a video about the little 'clues' in the Naruto anime that prove that Sasuke belongs with Sakura. I don't care for the show, but you have to admit that there are SOME people who read between the lines too much than the author intends. Orson Scott Card said it best in the introduction of Ender's Game; you shouldn't have to pore over some text and say, "This is a symbol of so-and-so, proving that so-and-so" blah blah blah. Too bad I'll have to do just that tomorrow when school starts._

**Chapter 15 – Traitor**

At nighttime, the camp would be silent as the cats slept. It was the same as before—but this time, Duskshadow could sense the fear in that ominous silence. He climbed the steps to Dawnstar's den with apprehension in his heart. Ravenwing was away, practically making a record of racing around the lake with news: the battle was to be at dawn. He was at the entrance of the leader's den, and apprehension was replaced by a tired sense of shouldering a heavy burden. _Will I really have to sleep in there and do all the duties that I hate so much? Talking of peace when my heart says to just fight?_ Of course he could. Wasn't it his idea to try and join together with the other Clans in the first place?

"What do you want this time, brother?" Dawnstar's voice was full of scorn and contempt. "Aching for the sister you lost?"

"Are you sure it's not the other way around?" He entered and sat down quickly, so that Dawnstar wouldn't pay much attention to his crippled leg. "I'm telling you now, as your brother and your kin: give up. You can't win against the three other Clans even if you outnumber them, with a pack of rogues. They wouldn't be able to even beat our youngest apprentice."

Dawnstar laughed. "Who _is_ our youngest apprentice? Oh, was it little Sootpaw? I'm sure _my_ youngest rogue can best that little crap of fur. And what about you, brother? I'm marching against the Clans at dawn, but which side will you be on?"

"_You're_ the fool, Dawnstar. Do you honestly think you can hold the three other Clans after you defeat them? Maybe ShadowClan can be talked into joining your side, but Silverstar? She's oldest after Thistlestar. If you have half the wits of a mouse, then you'll give up. Throw the rogues out, and declare that ThunderClan will get rid of them. You'll be famous as the leader who defeated the rogue threat, as Stormclaw and the others are remembered for defeating Flamestar."

"And why should I give up? If I call my cats to march right here, right now, there wouldn't be any talk of _yielding_," she hissed. "Get out." When he did not budge, Dawnstar flared, _"Get out._ Or have you lost your ears as well your leg? Get out before I call my rogues, traitor."

Duskshadow shrugged and did as demanded. _I am no traitor, neither to ThunderClan nor to my kin._ "I _did_ advise you to yield," he murmured. "It was only you who decided to ignore my advice."

Overhead, the stars of Silverpelt shone brightly. He wondered which was Stormclaw, and whether he would approve. Sometimes he felt like yowling at them, to tell them to fix everything that was wrong: his sister, the rogues in camp, everything. _The elders say StarClan sent down thunder to strike a tree down to kill the traitor Mudclaw, while making a path to the Gathering island. Why can't they do that now?_

They were so powerful—at least, in the tales. Were they all lies, to deceive the Clans? Dawnstar's reasons were wrong, but Duskshadow could still fathom the invincibility of a rogue army. Unbound by the warrior code, with so many rules that it was hard for him to follow one while not breaking another. In truth, StarClan kept the warriors bound when they could be so much more.

And perhaps that was a good thing. Warriors not bound by the code would slowly, but surely, turn into the mad cat that was Flamestorm. And he knew by personal experience what kind of havoc such cats could wreak. At least, Stormclaw would try and put a stop to that. There had to be _some_ limitations, hence the code itself.

It was complex for a mind that was used to quick thinking in a battlefield, but Duskshadow finally knew what he would tell Ravenwing if they—no, _once_ they—defeated Dawnstar. Leadership was a tasteless prospect, but he would know more about StarClan—about how and why the warrior code was so important. Of course, he was confident in his own answer, but little backups couldn't hurt. _Duskstar, the honorable leader of ThunderClan. Won't that be a hoot?_


	16. Ambush

_A/N: School has started, my Biology teacher's given me a 15 page outline the first week, and I started out by forgetting to turn in a signed slip, meaning I have like an F in Biology for the first week. In other words, I can't read the fanfics I want to read and I can't update in only a few days or so. ;; Oh, and I JUST noticed I accidentally spelled 'scrap of fur' in Chapter 15 as 'crap of fur'. Argh._

**Chapter 16 – Ambush**

"Duskshadow. _Duskshadow!_" Ravenwing's urgent mew brought him to the waking world. The thing that woke him up was not just her voice, but _why_ she was here, back in the medicine cat's den. _Wasn't she supposed to stay out of sight of the rogues?_ Ravenwing prodded him in the side this time. "Hurry up! The rogues, they're all gone!"

_That_ made him sit up with shock. "G-gone? To where? What about Dawnstar?"

"I came to you before following their trail. It looks like they're heading towards WindClan! Dawnstar isn't in her den, either…" Ravenwing's blue eyes were wide with fear. "Do you think she knew what we were—"

Duskshadow's mind was racing as well. The first thing to do was not to panic—and the hardest part of that was to make Ravenwing stop panicking as well. "Calm down," he commanded sternly. "We shouldn't wake up the entire Clan. Okay, let's think this over. I talked to Dawnstar and told her to back down in this madness, and she refused. You told the Clans that the battle is to be at dawn. That's a little away from now. The Clans should already be awake, and ready to move out. If they're battle-ready, WindClan should be ready…"

Ravenwing looked away guiltily. _Something's wrong._ "About that, Duskshadow… I convinced WindClan to join us by giving them our herbs to cure their whitecough. Even with RiverClan running out of prey, WindClan is the most vulnerable Clan. But how could Dawnstar know…?"

"A spy. A leak. I don't know and I don't care for it at the moment." He paced back and forth, and finally limped out of the den with Ravenwing following close behind. "What matters is what's happening now. I don't think you can make another run around the lake, and we don't have time to send another one to even WindClan. Was your scent trail fresh?"

Ravenwing nodded. "I was outside the camp and saw Dawnstar leading the rogues out. I couldn't stop them and I wouldn't be able to do anything alone, so…"

"If we run, we may catch up. Assuming Dawnstar knows about WindClan's condition, she may be trying to ambush them. We don't know yet if she knows that they're coming to us." Duskshadow concluded the conversation with that and let out a yowl that echoed in the hollow, awakening cranky elders and surprised warriors. What he was counting on, though, was not only the warriors, but the apprentices. As he had hoped, the apprentices marched out of their den in single file, with eagerness mixed with dead seriousness: this was what they had been prepared for, in the short time it took Ravenwing to deliver Duskshadow's message to the Clans.

Duskshadow leaped to the top of the Highledge, where Foxstar himself once stood upon to deliver messages to the Clan. The warriors and elders were asking why he had woken them up, but for once the apprentices acted like warriors: they lined up in no apparent order or hierarchy, and unlike the whispering warriors, they _were_ the warriors. They knew what was going to happen, and it didn't seem to bother them as much as it did their mentors.

"You're wondering why I'm addressing you here before dawn. Dawnstar and the rogues are gone, and their trail leads to WindClan!" As he expected, there were nervous mutters from the elders and the warriors yowled out questions. Ignoring them, he continued, "We can assume Dawnstar is going to take over WindClan first. As proud ThunderClan warriors, we cannot let WindClan fight alone. We must leave now to catch up with the rogues!"

There were a few calls, and one warrior shouted out loudest. It was Rowanheart—a face he had not contemplated for moons. "The rogues outnumber all the four Clans! The smart choice is to support the rogues, isn't it? If we fight Dawnstar we might lose, but with our forces together—"

Duskshadow stopped him with a chilling glare. Their eyes locked, the green with the blue, and as he held his gaze Duskshadow was raging inside, _You coward, do you still insist on running and hiding?_ For once Duskshadow wasn't glaring or smiling to cow an enemy. It had a purpose completely different: He had to have _all_ the warriors' support, with the apprentices, to win this war. If Rowanheart was feeling rebellious, he would wipe that cocky, lying smile off his face and _make_ him join in. "Feel free to join the rogues, Rowanheart," Duskshadow finally meowed when Rowanheart eventually looked away. "All of you are free to turn against the warrior code. And then we'll be free to kill you for an oathbreaker. ThunderClan needs all its warriors, but it can also use one less enemy."

Rowanheart wasn't completely beaten, however. "You talk bravely for a cripple who can't beat a Twoleg in a race," he threw back. "Why don't you back your words like a warrior? We know you can't fight with three legs!"

The dark golden tom on the Highledge had a glimmer of amusement in his sharp green eyes as he laughed. "You have me there, Rowanheart. But surely there's some way to prove myself? That's why I'll be leading our forces to WindClan."


	17. Front Lines

_A/N: I've finally risen from my three week hiatus (more like "I was occupied by Geometry, a crazy Biology teacher, and Life Skills"). One reason other than "C'mon, I had school!" excuse, I couldn't update because the computer caught a virus, we got it completely wiped out, and now all my saved documents and preferences are gone. Darn it. Hopefully I'll get back to my normal pace. Argh, even with my font as Times New Roman 12, it doesn't look the same as my old computer. Crappy Asian computer guy; now my eyes hurt from typing._

**Chapter 17 – Front Line**

"_What?"_ Ravenwing gasped. "I don't care how great a warrior you would have been, Duskshadow, but you are _not_ going to charge into a war with three legs."

"You heard him," Duskshadow threw back, not moving his gaze from Rowanheart. "Rowanheart here thinks I'm too cowardly to be at the front lines. I'm going to prove him wrong."

Rowanheart laughed uneasily, but when he glanced at Duskshadow's determined eyes, his confidence faltered. "I'm not sure, Duskshadow. A cripple like you, leading our forces? Won't that encourage the rogues, seeing us led by such?"

"_Say that one more time."_ To Duskshadow's surprise, Ravenwing and Sootpaw spoke at the same exact time. The two cats didn't even know each other well; they didn't spare a glance at the other despite the fact that they spoke together. Ravenwing continued, "It's true Duskshadow's been one big piece of foxdung as an apprentice, Rowanheart, all of us remember. But your words betray your own loyalty to ThunderClan, Rowanheart. We have to trust each other to survive as warriors within a Clan—but your lack of belief in who may have been one of our best warriors in the Clan tells me that you would be an even worse candidate for leader than Duskshadow."

Sootpaw added in her young voice, "He's been a lot more help to me than you ever were, Rowanheart."

The dark brown warrior whirled with wide blue eyes. "What do you mean, Sootpaw?"

"You're my mentor, Rowanheart, and if you ever paid more attention to my goals than my size, then you would have noticed what was going on." Sootpaw seemed to grow in stature as she gazed at the mass of gathered cats. "You all would have noticed what Duskshadow was doing, but ThunderClan has grown to look down upon apprentices. I know we're less experienced, but as ThunderClan cats, don't we have thoughts and voices as well?" Sootpaw glared at the cats as she declared, "Rowanheart, you taught me nothing more than the most basic of hunting techniques, and fed me tales of how Duskshadow deserved his injury to his leg. If you had half the wits of a mouse, you would have known that all of ThunderClan's apprentices have changed within the few days Ravenwing was gone!"

All the warriors' and elders' faces turned as one to Duskshadow, still on the Highledge.

"What does she mean?"

"Tell us what you were doing, Duskshadow!"

Duskshadow shrugged. The ploy couldn't last forever. "I knew we had to clash tooth and claw with the rogues," he replied. "I secretly trained our apprentices in new fighting moves to get ourselves ready."

Rowanheart snorted, "So a few days' training gives my apprentice the kind of foolishness to challenge me?" He turned mockingly to his apprentice, Sootpaw. "I was right to underestimate you, if you fell in with that pitiful—"

Sootpaw flew at her mentor with claws outstretched. Rowanheart was unprepared and staggered as Sootpaw's tiny body collided with his. Before the warrior could retaliate with his superior strength and size, Sootpaw darted away, as quickly as a frightened mouse—except that there was no fear in Sootpaw's face, only anger. "We all want to be warriors," she cried. "Why couldn't you warriors stop being so scared of Dawnstar's rogues? Any true warrior like Duskshadow would have known that the best thing to do was to train us! Instead, all our mentors accepted their fate to be trampled by lawless flea-bags!"

Duskshadow was slightly impressed; where was the timid gray apprentice who shied away whenever a senior warrior looked at her? _It must be a sign that my training was not wasted._ "Do you have anything more to say?" The only sound in the clearing were the occasional rustles of trees as the wind passed through them. "All right, we move out at once!"

He leaped down from the Highledge. With four legs he could have made it without a problem, but with his handicap, the force of the drop took his breath away. He tried to not let it show. Ravenwing was at his side, and whispered, "If you're at the front lines, then I'll have to be there too."

Duskshadow laughed. "I meant every word I said, silly medicine cat. Having both of us at top would doubtless scare those rogues away whimpering." He turned to the direction of WindClan's territory. "Right then, I'll lead the way!"


	18. Single Combat

_A/N: One of the longest chapters I've written, I believe, to make up for the huge update time._

**Chapter 18 – Single Combat**

At first Duskshadow was overcome with the feeling of foolishness. _Alright, I said what needed to be said, but what now?_ The battle-ready cats would practically trample him in their rush to get to WindClan, and he wouldn't be able to keep up with three legs… or so he thought.

Running at the head of the Clan, beside Ravenwing, was a queer feeling. By all rights Duskshadow should be falling behind with his three legs; his crippled leg slowed him down all the time—but today, with the rest of the Clan running at his heels, he felt _alive_. Not the dead crippled cat who lay in the medicine cat's den with the bitter smell of herbs in his nose, but the apprentice he had been before he fell from the Sky Oak. He felt invincible.

The sight of the crippled cat keeping up their pace seemed to bolster ThunderClan's resolve; the apprentices were trying to keep up with the warriors' longer legs, but none were complaining. The elders had to stay behind, to watch the camp, but Duskshadow wasn't worried about having the camp attacked while it was defenseless. _If they dare invade our camp while we're gone,_ he vowed, _the cowards will have more than just my wrath to deal with._ After his speech, all the warriors and apprentices seemed to be connected even more than ever before—and it was mostly his doing. Perhaps he _could_ be a leader…

"Duskshadow, they're already attacking the camp!" Ravenwing yowled. Duskshadow could smell and hear it too: the stench of the crow-food eating rogues, the battle cries of the WindClan warriors, and the scent of spilled blood. "Do we rush right in, or…"

Duskshadow's battle-hardened mind was already planning. "All warriors, go with Ravenwing from the front! The apprentices and I will sneak up behind!" The cats separated themselves, from the older and the younger, and with a nod to Duskshadow, Ravenwing sped away with the warriors at her heels.

Duskshadow went on a different path. He didn't exactly know where the WindClan camp was, but Ravenwing did, and it would be simple matter to follow her and look for a good place to spring an ambush.

"Mousepaw!" The large brown apprentice, not well-suited to his name due to his size, approached him right away. "I want to you run as fast as you can to RiverClan and ShadowClan! Tell their leaders that Dawnstar has moved against WindClan, and they should come there as quickly as they can!"

Mousepaw had a sullen look on his face as he grumbled, "But I'm the oldest apprentice! I want to fight!"

Duskshadow silenced him with a look. "Then run as fast as you can so you can make it back. There'll be plenty of warriors to fight, and there's no point in losing your life in a lost cause. We'll need all the help we can get. And you have the longest legs of all the apprentices, almost a warrior. Think of it as your first warrior mission… Mouseclaw."

The apprentice took a moment to notice, and nodded frantically. "O-okay, Duskshadow! Leave it to me!" He was gone before Duskshadow could blink again.

"Follow me, everyone!" The apprentices did so willingly, excitement in their eyes. They followed Ravenwing's group from farther away, so they could tell where the camp was without stumbling into any of Dawnstar's rogues. Finally Ravenwing and the warriors disappeared into a thicket of heather and gorse—that must have been their entrance.

Duskshadow gathered the cats with a flick of his tail. "We're going to infiltrate from behind the camp," he whispered. "We need a scout to look ahead. Someone small, someone who can blend into the surroundings. Sootpaw?" The gray apprentice brightened up and nodded. "Alright, the rest of you will come with me. Don't wait for orders; if you honestly, truly think something is right to do, do it. Don't waste time dawdling and waiting for my orders—I'm not a leader. Technically, ThunderClan's leaderless, so I'm giving you cats free reign."

The apprentices looked at each other awkwardly. "We know Foxstar's gone, and Dawnstar's _not_ our leader," Sootpaw spoke up. "But even without a leader, _we_ consider you our leader, Duskshadow. You taught us a lot—and me, too. We all stood up to our mentors, and the rogues."

Her short sentences practically touched Duskshadow's heart, that he was reminded that yes, he did actually have one.

Duskshadow shrugged, trying not to let it show that her words were greatly appreciated. "Whatever you think, this is the real thing. You won't have any three-legged cripples running at you; these are full-grown rogues with no whit for the warrior code—"

He was interrupted by a bout of laughing. "Fine, fine, I know what you guys mean. Well, don't screw up. Sootpaw, lead the way!"

--

"So it's Ravenwing, the one-eyed medicine cat, and my fearless ThunderClan warriors," rang out Dawnstar's contemptuous voice. "I'm afraid you're too late. WindClan is defeated."

Duskshadow froze mid-crouch. The battle was over already? There was an awkward silence in the camp. He whispered to the apprentice next to him, "Spread the word to the other apprentices. WindClan has been defeated, and we're the ones that can save them. It'll be a surprise attack." The apprentice nodded, and whispered the words 'spread the word, WindClan defeated, surprise attack'.

They were crouched in the heather that surrounded the camp, and he could now see Dawnstar on the huge rock where the WindClan leader stood upon to address the Clan. Thistlestar, the leader of WindClan, was looking down at his paws with his tail limp, as if in shame. Ravenwing stood proud and defiant, though the ThunderClan warriors seemed less confident. "We've come to retake WindClan from your evil clutches," Ravenwing yowled.

"Oh? I outnumber your cats, at least three to one. You haven't brought my sweet brother, I see. Well, ever since he lost his leg, he _has_ seemed the coward." Dawnstar shrugged. "Tiger! Come out and show this medicine cat to her proper place."

From the crowd of rogues, one massive ginger-brown tabby stepped out. He didn't really resemble the legendary cats of TigerClan, except for his ginger fur and tabby stripes, but the scars upon his pelt and his confident amber eyes attested to his strength. Ravenwing blinked, and unsheathed her claws. "I won't fight a lowly rogue when I can challenge _you,_ Dawnstar," Ravenwing snarled. "Single combat. If I win, you have to leave ThunderClan with your rogues, and leave the Clans around the lake alone. If you don't agree—"

Before she could finish, Dawnstar flicked her tail, and the huge tabby named Tiger pounced with claws unsheathed and fangs bared. Ravenwing dropped and rolled away at the last second; Tiger's claws missed her face by a mouse-length. Was that surprise that showed on Dawnstar's face for half a heartbeat?

Duskshadow bristled as instinct urged him to run out and take his sister from the back, but Stormclaw's lectures stopped him _again_. _Is there any honor in taking an enemy from the back?_ Stormclaw would say.

_I'd rather scrap my honor and be done with all of this! What is one cat's death compared to tens of brave warriors' lives being wasted?_ All the same, Duskshadow signaled his apprentices to stay put. He had confidence in Ravenwing's ability, and it was about time the Clan learned it.

The rogues surrounded the two snarling cats to prevent any ThunderClan warriors from interfering. Tiger was different from one-half of the rogues; he was a fighter, having honed his skills from the streets of a faraway Twolegplace and from the lands that were harsh to cats not belonging to any Clan. Ravenwing's blind eye was well-known throughout the rogues, and it was obvious that the tabby was trying to take advantage of it—just as Duskshadow had first done. Only this time, Tiger didn't have Duskshadow's crippled leg.

For the first few minutes nothing changed: they spat ferociously, flew at each other to try and tear the other's fur. But as time dragged on, the battle's effects could be seen in both cats; Tiger was considerably slower, and he had given up snarls to save his energy to dodge Ravenwing's blows. Ravenwing was even worse off—her wounds were bleeding, and her blows seemed to bounce right off Tiger. _Come on, you can do it!_ Duskshadow urged silently.

Finally, after an eternity of spitting and hissing, the two cats sprang apart, panting furiously. They were both bleeding, torn and tired—but none of the rogues, and Dawnstar, seemed willing to call it a draw. It was to the death. Duskshadow made up his mind: _Okay, the little medicine cat couldn't cut it. I'll run in and try to kill Dawnstar from the back—_

There were countless drumming pawsteps as a mixed force of ShadowClan and RiverClan emerged from the heather with Mousepaw leading them. There was nothing half so pleasurable a feeling that Duskshadow got from the look on Dawnstar's face.

--

_A/N: Okay, a teensy little cliffhanger thing. Ravenwing practically lost, because if she won this one, she would attain the title of 'Mary Sue'. Please read and review; thanks a lot you guys! _


	19. Sacrifice

_A/N: Oh yes, I know what you guys'll say. 'Why the heck are the updates so SLOW?' My answer: I dunno. A -VERY- important chapter. I expect a lot of angry reviews._

**Chapter 19 – Sacrifice**

"What is the meaning of—" Dawnstar started to snarl, when Owlstar yowled, cutting her off.

"_Attack!"_

Duskshadow's first thought was of how stupid Owlstar must be to just charge straight in—but then again, it _was_ courageous of him. _While I hide in the bushes wondering whether to save the only friend I have, _he_ jumps in up front._ He didn't even stop to correct himself when he called Ravenwing _friend_.

"Thank StarClan—" Ravenwing gasped, tearing her gaze away from Tiger. It was a mistake to take her one eye off the enemy, though, and in a heartbeat Dawnstar leaped mightily onto the medicine cat's back. The two she-cats screeched and tried to get at each others' throats, but it was obvious that Ravenwing was having the harder time of it.

This time, Duskshadow didn't hesitate. Without signaling to his apprentices, he ran out of his hiding place so fast he must have been a golden blur—and the next thing he knew, he was on another cat's back, dirty and matted with dirt.

When he was leading ThunderClan to battle, it felt like running with four legs again. In a battlefield, where a throng of cats blocked him from a friend who might probably die, he was a raging demon, not stopping to see if the cat he ripped apart was friend or foe. He had never been so _fast_. Duskshadow didn't stop to ponder why the other cats seemed to be slower, or how the cats shrieked in pain and scrambled out of his way.

"_Brother!_"

The sharp yowl made everyone freeze in their tracks, all but Duskshadow. He was panting madly, bleeding from cuts but never feeling the pain. He winced inwardly as he tasted the disappointment and anger of despair again. First, it was when he had lost his leg. Now, it was the sight of his sister crouched above Ravenwing with her paw pressed onto the medicine cat's throat.

Dawnstar continued coldly, "You still have a way out, Duskshadow. Leave this place to me and my cats, and you and Ravenwing can just walk away. I know just how to rule the Clans, brother, but I have to show them my power first. You can walk away with that coward's heart of yours, you crowfood-eating—"

"Don't!" Ravenwing tried to turn her head, so her one eye could see Duskshadow, still surrounded by rogues. "Just kill her, Duskshadow—"

Dawnstar clouted her face with unsheathed claws, but Ravenwing didn't stop talking frantically. "Think about it, Duskshadow. Two cats or two score of them? You know the right thing to do!"

Duskshadow opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he looked into Ravenwing's blue eyes, one blind and one clouded with innumerous emotions. _I can't kill both of you,_ he despaired.

Almost as if she could read his mind, Ravenwing shot back a furious glance at him in return. _I told you being a leader isn't easy,_ that gaze told him. _You have to lead ThunderClan—and a leader must make sacrifices._ "Eat crowfood, foxdung!" Ravenwing yowled, twisting out of Dawnstar's grip and fighting with renewed energy.

_Stop, you half-mad fool! You're going to die…_ Duskshadow was hardly aware of him running, _jumping_, past the throng of rogues and landing on his sister's back. The distraction created by Ravenwing worked; Dawnstar gave a surprised shriek as her brother's claws sunk into her golden fur. "You're not the Dawnpaw I knew," he snarled as Dawnstar was unable to shake him off her back. "You aren't fit to rule ThunderClan."

Dawnstar was finally in the dirt, her muzzle smashed onto the ground. _Power_. It felt good to use those muscles to their full power; he finally had the strength that he thirsted for as an apprentice. Only this time, he truly understood why. _I'm protecting my friend, and all of ThunderClan. StarClan's on my side._

Dawnstar was still underneath his paw, but Duskshadow knew better than to do nothing. Instead, as she lay there, losing a life, Duskshadow turned her over to reveal her throat. _The sacrifices one must make for their Clan,_ he thought grimly, as he slashed his sister's throat with already-bloody claws.

In a few moments, Dawnstar was back, but this time, with the blood flowing from her throat, she couldn't speak. She struggled to her feet, blood spurting from her wound—and fell again. As she lost her second life, Duskshadow heard a _thump_. When he turned, he saw that it was Ravenwing.

"Hey, get up! You're not going to die of those little scratches, are you?" The rogues were frozen, watching in horror as their leader writhed on the floor as she lost life after life. Ravenwing whispered something, but it was too faint to hear. "What is it?" Duskshadow leaned closer.

"_Thank you_."

With a tired sigh, her body drew its last breath. "_Ravenwing!_"


	20. Sanctuary

_A/N: Oh my god, what the heck is with 's new look!? I'm lost! I couldn't even find out where to upload this chapter!_

_I wasn't joking, but fun put aside: This is the last chapter. If you don't understand Duskshadow's end, well... I don't know what to say. Vague, but as clear as I could put it. Anyways, thanks a lot for reading Honor and Glory all the way to the end! Your reviews helped me get here (even if I got really lazy in the uploading new chapters). Thanks a lot, whether you were a loyal fan or one-time reviewer! Love you all. - Rhaenira_

**Chapter 20 – Sanctuary**

"_Ravenwing!"_

It was a curious feeling that racked his heart. Duskshadow had never felt it before—not when his sister betrayed him, nor when he lost his leg. Dawnstar had gone mad, and he had learned to cope with using three legs—but Ravenwing was another cat, someone he had grown close to in the moons after he fell from the Sky Oak. And he would never see her again; at least, not alive and breathing.

Everything came crashing down on him afterwards—the guilt of not having reacted earlier or intercepting her battle with Tiger. _If only I was Duskpaw,_ he howled inwardly, _then I would have rushed in, no questions asked!_

But that wasn't true, either. Ravenwing, Stormclaw, even the small apprentices that he trained—they all were a part of who he was now. If he _were_ Duskpaw, then he wouldn't have bothered rescuing a stubborn righteous one-eyed medicine cat.

That jolted him back to reality. Who would be ThunderClan's medicine cat? Ravenwing had no apprentice; with her gone, ThunderClan was left with no one to dress the wounds of the injured. _It's all your fault,_ Duskshadow snarled silently, staring up at the sky. _When you died, you made things ten times more difficult._

There was a voice in his ear, so clear and alive that Duskshadow flinched. _"Think about it, Duskshadow. Who else has spent five moons in a medicine cat's den?"_ He turned, expecting a laughing Ravenwing. But his hopes were dashed again, as he gazed at her broken body.

_So you want me to be a medicine cat, is it, StarClan? First it's leader, now it's medicine cat. Who'll lead ThunderClan then?_

Duskshadow blinked. Rowanheart was talking to him, but he had zoned out. "I'm really sorry about that," the brown cat muttered. "I was just—I wanted to be you, Duskshadow, back when we were apprentices. Sorry 'bout your leg."

_A confession, coming from him?_ The world must have flipped on its head. "Doesn't matter," he heard himself reply. "Even with four legs, I don't think I could have saved her." Once he said it, it sounded even more like his fault. _Get it together!_ He shook himself. "ThunderClan, we're going back home." The rogues were still in the camp; they were frozen in fear of having witnessed the sight of their leader losing nine lives.

The warriors followed him willingly, some limping and bleeding from cuts. It reminded him of ThunderClan's need for a medicine cat. Duskshadow grabbed Ravenwing's body from her scruff and proceeded to lead ThunderClan to its camp. Before he could exit the camp, however, the leader of RiverClan stopped him.

Duskshadow set down his burden gently and mewed, "Thank you for coming with ShadowClan today, Silverstar."

Silverstar shook her head. "Thank your medicine cat. I would never have come, if not for her. Hers is a rare soul, to give up the life of a warrior to become a medicine cat. Even with one eye, I saw how she held her own with Dawnstar." Her words were slightly reassuring, but it did nothing to fill the hole where his heart would have been.

ThunderClan dejectedly trotted to their camp—Duskshadow was limping again. The speed and excitement of battle left him; he felt as if he had two legs instead of three. At camp, Duskshadow was about to head to the medicine cat's den to sleep for another moon, when he noticed something. The cats weren't going into their dens—they were waiting, beneath the Highledge, as if waiting for an announcement from Foxstar. What's more, they were all looking at him with questioning eyes. He could read some of them: "Will you be our leader, Duskshadow?" Even some murmurs rose from the crowd; the only name he heard from the whispers was _Duskshadow_.

Leader of ThunderClan. Sure, he would have to spend time with other cats, planning out battle strategies, and overall, watching over the Clan—which was the last thing he wanted. But looking at the expectant and proud gazes of the apprentices that he had trained for such small time, he knew that _leading_ wasn't all that a leader could do. Duskshadow tasted the prospect. He wouldn't have to obey any other cat's orders regarding ThunderClan. He could follow Stormclaw, and put Flamestorm's madness behind.

_To give up the life of a warrior to become a medicine cat._ Silverstar's words echoed within him. ThunderClan needed a medicine cat more than a leader, at this point. But then who would be leader? Who was even remotely close to being ready, besides him?

Before he could stop himself, his paws carried him to the top of the Highledge. He looked down upon the Clan, waiting for his decision. _I've looked down upon cats for far too long,_ he decided, as he meowed quietly, "I'm going to take Ravenwing's place as medicine cat."

The cats were silent as the news sank in. Then Sootpaw cried out, "Then who'll be our leader? You're the—" Duskshadow silenced her with a cold look. _No. Stormclaw was, not me._

"Then who'll be our leader?" Sootpaw repeated.

"Pick anyone you feel like." Duskshadow shrugged. "Just so it's not me."

Just as he turned, there was a disturbance in the crowd of cats as Rowanheart shouldered his way to the front. He prowled angrily towards Duskshadow, and snarled, "You think we fought the rogues for nothing? You're our deputy! Without a good leader, ThunderClan's going to fall apart anyways! What right do you have to turn your back on your Clan—"

His anger got the better of him. "_You think I want this?_" Duskshadow raged, whirling back to Rowanheart. The other cat stood his ground, glaring. Remembering Rowanheart's confession, Duskshadow softened his voice. "I owe it to Ravenwing."

Rowanheart was not the clueless apprentice anymore; he caught on Duskshadow's words immediately. "Then you—you're going to—"

Without waiting for him to finish, Duskshadow headed towards the camp entrance. The silent cats watched his tail disappear into the thorn barrier. They did nothing, but wait.

They waited a long time.

**Epilogue**

"Duskshadow! Duskshadow, I have a thorn in my paw!"

The small black bundle of fur rammed into him as Duskshadow was exiting the den. "Ravenpaw, when will you learn to stop playing around the thorn barrier!" he scolded gently. Even when he scolded her, the young energetic apprentice never seemed to take it very seriously—and lifted her paw expectantly. The dark golden tom quickly pulled the thorn out of her paw and spat it onto the ground. "All I taste these days are mice and your wounds," he complained. "Shouldn't you return to training?"

If there was one thing Ravenpaw loved more than annoying him, it was battle training. "Oh yeah! Thanks, Duskshadow!" Her blue eyes, both clearly seeing, sparkled mischievously as she darted away again. Looking at her, so full of energy, he felt the wonderful feeling that this was truly a sanctuary--ThunderClan's peaceful hollow, the excitement of the apprentices, and the gruff seriousness of the warriors.

He remembered Rowanstar's words, as Duskshadow gazed upon the leader's kits. _Foxkit, Stormkit, and Ravenkit,_ Rowanstar had meowed proudly. _They do resemble their namesakes, don't they?_ And they had, in ways more than one. Stormpaw was the quiet rule-stickler, never romping with the others any more than he had to. Foxpaw was ambitious, always determined to stay at the front of the pack. And Ravenpaw…

Duskshadow remembered the day Ravenpaw, as a kitten, had come up to him and asked quietly if she could become his medicine cat's apprentice. And just as quietly he refused. _You're destined to become a warrior,_ he told her, not unkindly. _StarClan has laid another path for you._


End file.
